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Maddie moved her focus to Lucille Preston. Not surprisingly, she was as beautiful as her son. Her dark hair was coiffed short, framing her oval face. Her body, from what Maddie could see through the crowd, was trim and fit for a woman her age. She appeared completely at ease in her short black formal dress, her son the center of attention.
Could Maddie be like that? Could she stand aside and watch her lover be pursued and pounced on by the press? It seemed…awkward and kind of adrag.
“It just doesn’t look very fun to be all paparazzi’d like that,” Sam said continuing a conversation that Maddie kept forgetting they were having.
Noshit.
Joe returned then with a plate full of shrimp cocktail and a few other members of the crew. “Look who I found.”
Maddie let the group surround her, grateful for the number so she could dissolve into the background. Minutes passed where she smiled and nodded automatically to whatever was said, not knowing what she was smiling and nodding at. All the while, she snuck peeks at Micah and his mother, always aware of where he stood and who he stood with—more often than not with Heather.
Maddie wanted to poke Heather’s eyes out with her stilettos. It would be a shame to ruin such a nice pair of shoes though, so she shut the thought out of hermind.
“Are we all sitting together?” Sam asked no one in particular.
“We’re together in the balcony,” Joe said. “The actors are in the orchestra, I think. Or they have box seats.”
Surprise, surprise.Segregation of cast and crew. Again.
Usually she wouldn’t think twice about it. Now it felt like a punishment.
“Oh look, it’s our productioncrew!”
Maddie looked to the source of the voice and saw Heather pointing at their group.
“Familiar faces, Micah. Let’s go say hi.” Heather pulled Micah toward them, with Fudge and Lulu following close behind.
Maddie’s heart pounded and her palms began sweating as they approached. She couldn’t decide if she was jealous or nervous or excited, or all three mixed up into one impending anxiety attack. Whatever it was, Micah was getting close and her skin goosed as it always did in his presence.
But Micah didn’t look at her once. Not even a sideways glance. Shit. Was hemad?
“Hey, guys,” Micah said, jabbing at his phone. “Excuse me just a minute, please.”
And he was gone, stepping aside to privately take or make a call. She wasn’t sure which.
She closed her eyes, squelching threatening tears.
Her phone buzzed inside her clutch and she scrambled to grab it. Normally she’d ignore it, but Micah was on his phone—was it ridiculous to think he was calling her? She looked at the caller ID. Micah-from-the-party.
She swallowed then answered, her body tensed in preparation for his anger or disappointment or whatever he was about to deliver. “Yes?”
“Baby, you look so fucking hot, I’m struggling to not pull you into the coat room and take you rightnow.”
Well, she hadn’t been prepared forthat.
His voice was tight and full of need. She flushed, searching the crowd for where he’d wandered off to, and found him standing alone, eyes locked onher.
“Turn around,” he said, hungrily. She did and he groaned. “Fuck, those shoes…As amazing as you look in that dress, later I hope to see you wearing nothing but those shoes.”
She was never taking off those rhinestone stilettos again. God, he made herhot.
“Gotta go.” He pocketed his phone and gave his attention to a couple that had just approached him for an autograph.
Relief mingled with her arousal. Really, what had she expected? That he would be angry that she attended an event she had every right to be at? He hadn’t wanted her there for the same reason she hadn’t wanted to be there—because it made them ache to be together. That wasall.
“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” Sam said, bumping her shoulder withhis.
Maddie realized she’d been beaming since her phone call. She relaxed her smile. “It’s probably the wine. I’m a lightweight. I should follow it with some coffee.”
